SEC Media Days: The best of Steve Spurrier in front of a microphone
By Kevin Miller
Steve Spurrier’s best quotes where the target was his own players or coaches
Playing for Steve Spurrier did not mean one was safe from his verbal assaults in the media. In fact, Spurrier purposely used the media as a means of motivating his team, oftentimes through embarrassment. Even his assistant coaches got jabbed from time to time.
Here are some of his best quotes that came at the extent of his players and coaches:
Lamenting the performance of his offensive line unit at South Carolina:
“Well, we can’t trade ’em. So I guess we’ve got to coach ’em.”
When asked about his quarterback at Florida (Danny Wuerffel) not retaliating against obvious late hits from Georgia players:
“He’s like a New Testament person. He gets slapped upside the head and turns the other cheek and says, ‘Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they’re doing.’ I’m probably more of an Old Testament guy. You spear my guy in the earhole, we think we’re supposed to spear you in the earhole. That’s kind of how we’re a little different.”
When telling a story of how he handles backup players screaming at teammates in the locker room:
“[I] tell an assistant to let them know that no one is listening to them.”
Speaking about a poor special teams effort against Vanderbilt:
“I’m taking over coaching the kickoff coverage. I told Coach Joe Rob that I’m not watching him do it anymore…it was sad, it was unfortunate.”
Following his Gamecocks’ beatdown at the hands of Texas A&M in the 2014 season opener:
“I’ve been reading all these good things from you media guys about our new 3-4 defense. Did anybody like that 3-4 defense? I don’t know if it would have mattered if we played a 6-6 defense.”
After seeing former quarterback Stephen Garcia’s long hair and beard while “working” with the media at SEC Media Days:
“Look! Stephen’s here! I told him last night, I said, “Did you join the media? Or did you join Duck Dynasty?”
After making a remark about Alabama’s roster being better than the Gamecocks’ roster, Spurrier was asked to elaborate on what he meant:
“The biggest things they do well are called blocking and tackling.”
Addressing speculation about some of his injured players whereabouts while they were inside the team facility during practice instead of outside with the team:
“Jadeveon is doing fine. Bruce is doing fine. Damiere is doing fine. They didn’t know they should be out here with their team, so I’m the dummy here.”
After his Gamecocks gave up 34 points to Vanderbilt (in a win):
“That’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing how we played…we are who we are, and we are not a very good team.”
Bob Stoops, telling a story about playing golf with his former head coach:
“I was down a cliff and in some really tall grass, lucky really to even get it up on the green. I angrily told him I shot a 10. Coach replied, ‘Actually, Bobby, I think it was an 11.'”